Tag Archives: Delage

Side Valve Six – Delage Weymann DR70 #26290

After winning the 1927 AIACR World manufacturers championship Delage found itself so impoverished that it abandoned motor racing and focused it’s attention on building a new range of popular DR70 six cylinder vehicles for it’s customers.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The DR70 was launched in 1927 with a choice of either 2.177 or 2.517 litre side valve motors and was supplied as a rolling chassis.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Chassis #26290 was supplied to Delage’s UK agent who arranged for it to be fitted with a patented Weymann Fabric Body for it’s first owner and first registered on the 27th of April 1928.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The Weymann body system used a fabric covered frame in wood that featured patented flexible joints between the timbers which reduced the usual squeaks and rattles from wood framed bodies and was said to be lighter than bodies fashioned from metal.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Today’s featured car remained in the the original owners family until 1965 and was restored by the second owner in 1975.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

In 1996 the car found it’s way into the hands of it’s third owner who embarked on a ten year restoration.

Delage DR70, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

This DR70 is seen in these photographs gracing the paddock at Silverstone during the VSCC Spring Start meeting earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this Side Valve Six edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me next time when I will be visiting Silverstone for the International Trophy meeting. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Phizackerley Coachworks – Delage DIS Colonial Phizackerley Tourer

Today’s featured Delage DIS Colonial Tourer was built in 1927.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

It is powered by a 2198 cc / 134 cui variant of the Delage push rod overhead valve four cylinder engine.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

According to the blurb on display with this vehicle the body sits on a “Colonial” chassis which is both slightly longer, wider and has a higher ground clearnace than the regular DI, DIS and DISS Delage’s.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

It would appear the powered chassis was originally shipped to Australia.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Once it got to Sydney coach builder Isaac Phizackerley built and fitted the Tourer bodywork.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

Phizackerely originally founded the Isaac Phizackerley’s Cycle Works in the 1890’s manufacturing bicycles and cycle tyres.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

In 1902 Phizackerley built at least two De Dion-Bouton powered single cylinder 6hp cars in 1902 one with an open two seat body and the other with an open four seat body.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

There after the company seems to have focused on building bodies for chassis from third parties several of which came from Delage in the 1920’s.

Delage DIS Colonial Tourer, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

The car seen in these photograph’s at last years Classic Car Show in Birmingham and at this years VSCC Spring Start was not registered for use on British roads until the 11th of July 2002.

Thanks for joining me on this “Phizackerley Coachworks” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting Wales for my first Rally Cross meeting. Don’t forget to come back now.

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Saharan Adventurer – Delage DIS

In 1923 Delage launched it’s DI range of four cylinder cars.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

Initially these were powered by 30hp side valve 2,120 cc / 129 cui motors.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

In 1924 50hp DIS Sport and DISS Super Sport variants with overhead valves, aluminium pistons, Zenith carburetors, magneto ignition and thermosyphon cooling were offered.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

The DI, DIS and DISS were all equipped with a four speed gearbox and four wheel brakes, all considered advanced for this class of vehicle.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

The DI series were considered to have exceptional performance, comfortable suspension, light steering and good road holding while being rugged enough to handle the comparatively primitive roads of the day.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

The 1924 Delage DIS seen here in the Silverstone paddock at last month’s VSCC Spring Start meeting was first registered in the UK on the 23rd of October 1924.

Delage DI-S, VSCC, Spring Start, Silverstone

This particular Delage took part in the last 17 day Trans Sahara Run in 2010 from Tunisia to Benin, it’s finishing position is not known, if you know any results for the event please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Thanks for joining me on this “Saharan Adventurer” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be presenting the race winners from the races at VSCC Spring Start meeting. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Triple Feature Hollywood Star – Delage D8 120 Chapron Cabriolet

Today’s featured Delage D8 120 sits on the same Delahaye sourced chassis and is mechanically similar to the Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé” I looked at last week.

Delage D8 120 Chapron Cabriolet, Goodwood Festival Of Speed,

However once complete the chassis was sent to the Henri Chapron carrosserie for it’s magnificent Cabriolet body to be fitted in 1939.

Delage D8 120 Chapron Cabriolet, Goodwood Festival Of Speed,

An unfortunate French General is said to have shipped the car to the United States, before being denied access to the country because of his alleged Nazi sympathies in 1946.

Delage D8 120 Chapron Cabriolet, Goodwood Festival Of Speed,

During the 1950’s this car belonged to the Warner Bros Studio in Hollywood and it stared in three films, when it was still painted it’s original Ocean Blue a shade of green with a white roof; Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye with James Cagney in 1950, An American in Paris with Gene Kelly in 1951 and finally Carmen Jones with Harry Belafonte in 1954.

Delage D8 120 Chapron Cabriolet, Goodwood Festival Of Speed,

The Delage seen in these photograph’s at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was acquired, restored and painted Burgundy for it’s current owner Peter Mullins in the 1980’s, when not on tour the car is to be found at the Mullins Museum in Oxnard, California.

Thanks for joining me on this “Triple Feature Hollywood Star” edition of “Gettin’ a little psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be going testing at Donington Park. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Pillarless Vue Panoramic – Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé

By 1937 when today’s Delage D8 120 was built, Louis Delage had sold the controlling interest in his company to his French rival Delahaye who continued to market cars with both brand names.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The 1936 Delage D8 100 and 1937 Delage D8 120 were designed to top the ranges of both brands.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The Delage D8 120 like the D8 100 introduced a year earlier used Delahaye sourced steel ladder chassis frames.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

There seems to be a good bit of confusion about the origins of the engine used in the D8 120 with some sources believing it to have origins in a Delahaye truck and by others to have origins in the Delahaye 135MS straight 6, so far as I am aware both of these suggestions are no more than chewing the cud piffle of the highest order.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

I believe the D8 120 engine is a 120hp developement of the straight eight Delage first built in 1929 with it’s capacity now stretched to 4,302 cc / 262.5 cu in.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

As before the Delahaye take over top of the range Delages were supplied only as rolling chassis onto which the creme de la creme of boutique coach builders were given instructions by customers as to their exact body requirements.

The Aerosport Sport Pillarless Vue Panoramic body on today’s featured car, now owned by the Peterson Museum, is by Letourneur & Marchand a Parisian coach building company founded in Paris on the 1st of April 1905.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs taken at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, Palm Springs a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pillarless Vue Panoramic” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the 400 cars collected by a man who know’s more about the inside of cars than most and has made a fortune out of writing books about how to take them apart and put them back together again. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Short Wheelbase Sport – Delage D8S

After the successes of winning the 1927 World Manufacturers’ Championship with it’s D15 S8 model Delage urgently needed to turn it’s attention to it’s road car business in order to restore it’s finances.

Delage D8, Mike Hawley, Chateau Impney,

The outcome of it’s endeavors were the D8 available with three different wheelbases as chassis on to which, mostly Parisian, coach builders weaved their magic with exotic designs and the shorter wheelbase D8S optimised for sports car applications such as the example seen in these photographs.

Delage D8, Mike Hawley, Chateau Impney,

Power for all the D8 models came from a 4061 cc / 247.8 cui straight 8 which for the D8 S application was tuned to produce 120hp, the four speed gearbox had synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gear only.

Delage D8, Mike Hawley, Chateau Impney,

Top speed was dependent on the weight and drag of the body fitted, but 82 mph should have been possible for a D8 S.

Delage D8, Mike Hawley, Chateau Impney,

The D8 S like the D8 was manufactured from 1929 to 1933, the example driven by Mike Hawley in these photographs taken at Chateau Impney last year was built in 1930 and first registered in the UK July 1st 2001.

Thanks for joining me on this “Short Wheelbase Sport” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be visiting Queen Square in Bristol.

Don’t forget to come back now !

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GP Winning Record Breaker – Delage 15 S8

In 1925 the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR), an international association of motor clubs founded in 1904, organised the first World Manufacturers’ Championship with four qualifying events, the Indianapolis 500, Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, French Grand Prix at Montlhéry and Italian Grand Prix run at Monza.

For the 1925 season Delage were running 2LCV V12 2 litre / 122 cui powered cars designed by Charles Planchon who after the cars initial failure in 1923 was replaced by Albert Lory who added twin superchargers and developed sufficiently for Robert Benoist and Louis Wagner to finish first and second in the 1925 French Grand Prix.

Delage 15 S8, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The inaugural World Manufacturers’ Championship was claimed by Alfa Romeo with wins for Antonio Ascari and Gastone Brilli-Peri in Belgium and Italy respectively, both driving Alfa Romeo P2’s.

For 1926 the rules for the second World Manufacturers’ Championship mandated a down size to 1500 cc / 91.5 cui engine’s for which Albert Lory designed the 170hp twin supercharged 15 S8 with a straight 8 engine and five speed gearbox.

Delage 15 S8, Brooklands Double Twelve

Bugatti won the 1926 championship, Jules Goux winning the French Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix with Louis Charavel also driving a Type 39A to victory in Italy.

A Delage 15 S8 driven by Robert Sénéchal shared with Louis Chiron won the first Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix run at Brooklands in 1926.

Delage 15 S8, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

For 1927 Delage entered their 15 S8 models modified to run with a single super charger in all four European rounds of the World Manufacturers’ Championship.

Delage won all four races to secure what turned out to be the last World Manufacturers’ Championship to be awarded by the AIACR.

Delage 15 S8, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Remarkably Robert Benoist was at the wheel of the winning car in France, Spain, Italy and finally at Brooklands, where he drove today’s featured chassis No.2 to victory lane.

By the end of 1927 Delage was virtually bankrupt and the company had to re focus it’s attention on building road cars and abandon racing in a works capacity.

Delage 15 S8, Brooklands Double Twelve

In 1936 a young Richard Seaman made a name for himslef driving a carefully rebuilt 10 year old 15 D8 to numerous victories over new models from ERA and Maserati.

Chassis No.2 seen here was bought by Malcolm Campbell in 1929 who sold it on to W B ‘Bummer’ Scott who set Class F 24 Hour World Record and 200 Mile World Records respectively at Montlhéry in 1931 and Brooklands in 1933.

Delage 15 S8, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Prince Chula of Siam, cousin and entrant of “B Bira” was the next owner of the car from 1936 to 1939, hoping to emulate the fortunes of Richard Seaman the White Mouse Racing attempted an ultimately unsuccessful modernisation.

Alan V Burnard acquired No.2 in 1964 and was responsible for restoring it to it’s current condition having temporarily fitted an ERA engine and ENV pre selector gearbox.

After sourcing and rebuilding a correct type 15 S8 the ERA engine was replaced but the ENV gearbox remained, Alan Burnard generously bequeathed No.2 to the Brooklands Museum, where the car is seen in the 2nd and 5th photographs, upon his death in 2012.

Thanks for joining me on this “GP Winning Record Breaking” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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